Mr. H. Durnford on North-Frisian Ornithology. 403 



with knapsacks and boots slung over our backs, and trousers 

 tucked up to our knees, and arrived safely at our destination 

 after about an hour and a half's hard walking. On leaving 

 Nordstrand the island appears a mere speck, as nothing but 

 the raised central portion can be seen ; and I must say we felt 

 relieved when we stepped from the soft yielding ooze on to 

 firm ground again. The Geese here were very restless, never 

 staying to feed long in one place, and were doubtless on their 

 journey northward. When in a boat on the creek at Husum 

 I shot a fine adult bird out of a small flock. 



Tadorxa vulpaxser. 



Common everywhere, both on the islands and mainland, 

 breeding on the former in a semi-domesticated state. The 

 natives make artificial burrows in the sand-hillocks, and cut 

 a hole in the tujf over the passage, covering it ^\\i\\ a sod, so 

 as to disclose the nest when eggs are required. Several 

 females lay indiscriminately in the same nest. They are very 

 tame, and sufl'er themselves to be taken by the hand while 

 sitting. Each burrow has two openings, and is made circular 

 in shape. There are sometimes as many as a dozen or fifteen 

 nests in one hillock within the compass of eight or nine yards. 

 The eggs are taken up to the 18th June, after which they 

 allow the birds to incubate ; but they never rob a nest of all 

 the eggs, leaving one or two to avoid driving away the birds. 

 Each person in the village generally has a burrow ; and they 

 are scrupulously honest in not taking each other's eggs. The 

 female always covers her eggs with down before leaving the 

 nest. 



Anas boschas. 



Common on the islands and mainland. 



Anas crecca. 



The same remark applies to this species as to the preceding. 



SOMATERIA MOLLISSIMA. 



Very common on Sylt, especially at the north end, furnish- 

 ing a large supply of eggs to the people. Pretty common on 

 Amrum ; not observed on the mainland. We often observed 



2 F 2 



